On August 23rd, the day before the main conference kicks off, you'll be able to attend training sessions facilitated by leading Drupal experts. These sessions will take place at the main conference venue.

The training sessions will cover:

• Performance and Scalability
• Drupal Powered E-Commerce
• Module development
• Security: process, code and hands-on training

It is possible to attend the training sessions even if you're not going to the main conference. If that's the case, simply buy a ticket for the training session you'd like to attend.

If you buy a ticket for a training session together with a ticket for the conference, we will subtract €30 from the price of your conference ticket (making it €249 + VAT). The discount will be applied automatically during checkout.

Check out the training page for more information on the training sessions.

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ThinkDrop Consulting and the non-profit organization MACILE are collaborating on a pilot program to introduce open-source technology and Drupal to children living in less-advantaged communities, helping them overcome the hurdles that prevent them from openly accessing and sharing information.  In July, we will travel to Itabo, Dominican Republic to teach a two-week class to 6th-12th graders and educators on Internet Technology, Open Source, and Drupal.

In addition to educating both students and teachers on Internet technology and Drupal, we will be documenting the process using OpenAtrium and releasing our curriculum under Creative Commons licensing. Our goal is to create a consistent curriculum to teach kids around the world who may have not ever even used a computer.

Donate Today!

We are seeking $8,000 in funding through Kickstarter, an innovative website that allows users to fund creative endeavors. The funds we are seeking will pay for full-time coding and project development, travel and housing expenses in the Dominican Republic, and additional computers for educators and students. As we will be working in less advantaged communities, maintaining access to consistent electricity and the internet will be a challenge, so a portion of our time will be spent developing a model approach to this problem.

Although we have set our funding goal at $8,000, we hope to exceed it. Any additional funds we receive will be used to continue expanding the Internet Technology programs of COSOLA and MACILE. 

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A couple of days ago, we announced the track chairs and published the final descriptions of the six tracks at DrupalCon Copenhagen.

To make sure that everyone has had a chance to submit a session targeted at a specific track, we have decided to move the session deadline back a week. The revised schedule is as follows:

• The final deadline for session submissions is July 4th.
• Voting will take place from July 5th until July 11th.
• The initial schedule will be published on July 18th.

We have enjoyed seeing all the sessions submitted so far, but it has become apparent that the lack of detailed track descriptions has made it difficult to categorize some sessions. Hopefully, the track descriptions will make it easier for you to target your session at a specific audience.

Please consider the following track descriptions when submitting a session proposal:

• Introducing Drupal
  Chaired by Boris Doesborg
  For users and developers new to Drupal.
• Theming, Design & Usability
  Chaired by Roy Scholten
  For people who focus on usability, user experience, and design.
• Code & Development
  Chaired by Gábor Hojtsy
  For people interested in Drupal's architecture and the future of its codebase.
• Configuration, Set-Up & Performance
  Chaired by Florian Loretan
  For people who want to spend less time coding and more time working on the content of their sites.
• Drupal for Business
  Chaired by Jakub Suchý
  For people who using Drupal as a tool for running their business.
• Providing Professional Drupal Services
  Chaired by Thomas Barregren
  For people who provide Drupal-related professional services.

We can't wait to receive your session proposals!

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Start:  2010-06-24 08:00 - 17:00 America/Indianapolis User group meeting

After months of planning it is official:
On Thursday, June 24th, Drupalers from across the country are gathering together at the Arlington Central Library Google Map Here for a full day of DRUPAL LIBRARYCAMP.
We strategically planned the event right before the American Library Association's Annual Conference in DC. Event site here This has allowed people from very far away to join us for a smaller sized Drupal event before they dive into the whirlwind of activity with the ALA.

We chose to follow an UNconference model where we all show up, make a list of what every one wants to either learn about OR speak about then break off into ad-hoc groups; each seeking the group that meets the individual's needs. A WIDE range of people are coming to the LibraryCamp; some with years of Library experience, years of Drupal experience, or both. This is going to be a RICH time of sharing and learning for sure!

We're all looking VERY forward to meeting each other and sharing our knowledge and skills as we seek to leverage the awesome power of Drupal for Libraries!

Libraries

The issue of renaming Organic groups (OG) to Group was raised in several places, but it's probably a good idea to have it in a central place which is accessible to many.

There are very good reasons for renaming the module, but just as good to not renaming it. Following the suggested Drupal Code of Conduct (#DCOC):

When we are unsure, we ask for help

I have created a Poll for us to vote. Let's write the comments in this discussion.

Please go over the above links -- people have already written their thoughts, and they are worth reading.
Oh, and the choices are only OG or Group... :)

Contributed Module Ideas

You may already have heard of Packt, the fast-growing publisher of hardcopy and digital books on specific technologies, due to the large number of Drupal books it has published over the years. However, you may not be aware that they recently relaunched their website, www.PacktPub.com, using Drupal as its framework.

Packt Publishing is a modern, unique publishing company with a focus on producing cutting-edge books for communities of developers, administrators, and newbies alike. Packt has so far published over 15 Drupal books and remains committed to producing practical solution-based books for Drupal developers, along with the best available online bookstore. The new website, which took 12 months from design to launch, was developed with UK-based Bluetel Solutions. The new version not only adds to the existing functionality of Packt’s original website, but now also offers a new, enhanced customer experience with an advanced design.

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Recently, I've been working with the Drupal Association in determining the most effective ways that the association can help user groups organize local Drupal camps. One of the first thing we realized was that we didn't have any hard data on how camps were actually organized. We decided to create a survey for camp organizers to collect some data.

The resulting survey has been available for about a month, and we've collected 31 responses. Not all surveys were completed, so not all of the responses total 31. If you're a DrupalCamp organizer and haven't completed the survey yet, please do so!

Here's a rundown of the results to date:

• 8 were one-day camps
• 20 were two-day camps
• 3 were three-day camps

12 countries were represented
Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Romainia, Spain, United Kingdome, and the United States.

It is not a big surprise that most camps were multi-day camps. I was surprised by the three-day camps. We didn't collect information about what took place each day, I'd be curious to know if the three-day camps were comprised of three days of sessions or something else (code sprint? coding for a cause?)

• Average attendance was 135 attendees, range was 45-375.
• 11 camps had less than 100 attendees
• 16 camps had between 100 and 200 attendees
• 3 camps has over 200 attendees
• Largest camp was DrupalCamp Spain 2010 with 375 attendees.
• The total combined number of attendees of all reported camps was 4,044.

• Average budget was $5,429.50
• Largest budget was $31,319 (DrupalCamp Spain 2010)!
• 11 camps had a budget of less than $2,500
• 8 camps had a budget of between $2,500 and $7,500
• 0 camps had a budget of between $7,500 and $10,000
• 5 camps had a budget of over $10,000
• The average cost per participant was $33.93 (low was $5.00, high was $90.91)
• The total combined budget of all reported camps was $130,308
• (all amounts in USD)

With the total number of attendees of 4,419, the reporting camps were collectively larger than DrupalCon SF 2010! For all camps, the average cost per participant was $29.49, roughly 10% of what a ticket to DrupalCon SF 2010 cost. Clearly, camps offer an amazing cost-effective opportunity for new and existing Drupalistas.

• 12 camps charged an admission fee ranging from $5 to $43
• 3 camps had their admission fee provide less than 25% of their total income
• 6 camps had their admission fee provide 25% and 50% of their total income
• 3 camps had their admission fee provide more than 50% of their total income

• 13 camps charged an admission fee to recover some costs of the camp
• 8 camps charged an admission fee to get a more accurate count of attendees
• 6 camps charged an admission fee to appear more professional
• 1 camp charged and admission fee because they wanted active developers, not newbies
• (multiple answers were allowed)

As one of the organizers of Florida DrupalCamp, we debated charging a small admission fee. Our main reason for ultimately deciding to charge $6 was that we felt it was important to have an accurate count of attendees for planning purposes. Obviously, being able to recover some of the costs of the camp was helpful as well, but there appears to be no negative repercussions from charging a small admission fee.

• 13 camps reported a profit
• 0 camps reported an loss
• Average profit was $1,620.46
• Largest profit was $8,000
• 6 camps had a profit of less than $1,000
• 7 camps had a profit of more than $1,000

While we didn't ask explicity what camps did with any operating profit, conversations I've had with other camp organizers indicate that most profit is saved to be used as seed money for a future camp.

• 8 camps paid for expenses out of pocket
• 14 camps had sponsors pay for expenses directly
• 9 camps paid for expenses out of a user group or camp account
• 4 camps had a 3rd party manage income and expenses

• 1 camp created a legal organization specifically for the event
• 5 camps partnered with a 501(c)3 organization
• 6 camps partnered with another type of organization
• 19 camps utilized no legal organization at all

• 1 camp purchased event insurance from their venue
• 2 camps purchased event insurance from an agent/carrier

Providing a financial and legal mechanism for camps is one way that the association has indicated that it might be interested in helping camps. Less than half of the camps utilized a legal entity or a dedicated account to handle finances. Surprisingly, only 3 camps purchased any kind of event insurance. Granted, some venues include event insurance as part of the rental fee, but this is something that should be considered for all camps - especially larger ones.

• 7 camps purchased t-shirts to give away to participants
• 5 camps purchased t-shirts to sell to participants
• 19 camps provided morning drinks/snacks
• 20 camps provided lunch
• 15 camps provided afternoon drinks/snacks
• 8 camps provided evening drinks/snacks
• 4 camps rented additional equipment (chairs, projectors, PA systems, venues, internet services)

Other items paid for by camps included: notebooks, fliers, posters, bags, badges, patches, lanyards, banners, raffle tickets, sign holders. In addition, it is assumed that at some camps, sponsors provided some of these items.

• 10 camps had 10 or less volunteers
• 13 camps had between 10 and 20 volunteers
• 1 camp had more than 20 volunteers
• The average participants per volunteer was 15.8 (low was 4, high was 61.67)

Larger camps tended to have a participant-to-volunteer ratio of between 10 and 15, while smaller camps were a bit lower. Three camps had participant-to-volunteer ratios over over 30, which skewed the average (and probably made for some very tired volunteers!)

• 2 camps organized their camp sessions a low degree ("unconference style")
• 9 camps organized their camp sessions to a medium degree ("seeded the camp")
• 13 camps organized their camp sessions to a high degree ("all sessions pre-planned")

Clearly, the majority of the camps were more conference-like than unconference-like. Conference-like camps add an additional layer of complexity, resulting in the need for additional volunteers (both organizers and speakers), but probably results in better attendance (more people might be willing to attend if they know what to expect) and a wider variety of Drupalistas (especially if there are different levels and topics of sessions). Another possible benefit might be an increase in the number of sponsors - if they see an organized program, they might be more willing to participate.

The last question of the survey was for camp organizers to add any additional comments they thought might be helpful. Here's a sample:

"We organized on a Google Wave, letting everyone who was interested join the conversation. We picked a good venue (Temple U, where one organizer works) who also donated the food and took care of a lot. We used a pretty basic site which we built in a one evening open sprint for the previous camp, and updated its theme with a new design. Overall, people step in and do what's needed and we don't do a whole lot of organizing and have no real power structure or people seeking power in the process. On the other hand, we always have our camps on a weekday because we are more professionals than hobbyists, and they've always managed to be smooth and professional."

"We held in the camp in a very small village in the West of Ireland. It was held in a beautiful venue - the Burren College of Art which was about a mile from Ballyvaughan village. The idea behind this was that in a small and lovely location, it would be very easy for socialise during the weekend - and so it proved. We found this was as helpful as the pre-planned sessions themselves and people loved having the camp in a place that had a unique character in itself. We also found that staff and management of the Burren College of Art (who gave the use of their venue for free) were also very enthusiastic and helpful as it was an unusual (to them) conference to host."

"Focused on track on beginners - soup-to-nuts intro to basics of Drupal core, how to install modules, some basic CCK & Views."

"We did a mini, regional Drupalcon for drupal 'professionals' - no newbie track."

"Having a focus on developers allowed us to get a lot of high-quality sessions, even with guest speakers from outside the Drupal world (php, mysql). The drawback was less sessions targeted at beginners (even though no restriction was imposed)."

"We got it organised, with 45 people signed up, within 2 weeks. Only marketing was through twitter."

"We partnered with local university for space, WiFi, most venue infrastructure."

"We had a great party the night before and planned sessions. Unconference-style, but with good people ready to give talks."

Drupal Association

As our community grows, it is imperative that we preserve the what got us here. Namely, we keep Drupal a fun, welcoming, challenging, and fair place to play. IMO, we need to proactively state our shared ideals with respect to conduct. Think of this as coding standards for people :)

Our friends at Ubuntu have blazed a brilliant trail in this area. They use our CMS, and I propose that we use their Code of Conduct.

1. Adopt the Ubuntu Code of Conduct.
   • Make very light edits to the UCOC just to swap the word Ubuntu with Drupal and and remove reference to conflict resolution process. See my proposal below. I propose to avoid bikeshedding and avoid further edits for now.
   • Write a handbook page where we adopt the DCOC. Add prominent links to this document from drupal.org, groups.drupal.org, etc.
   • Add a user profile checkbox where users can optionally affirm their support for the Drupal Code of Conduct. There are no repercussions to checking or not checking this box. Its just a grassroots way to show that many members of drupal.org believe on our own Code.
   • Post the news on drupal.org front page
2. Build upon the DCOC with a conflict resolution policy. Again, Ubuntu has a really strong model. Have a look at it. Such a policy will really help groups.drupal.org and IRC administrators as they deal with the inevitable trolls in our world.

If this sounds too formal for Drupal, I sort of agree with you. But in the end, we want Drupal to be big and successful and a force for positive change in the world. Without a code of conduct, we impair this goal. We need to shout from the rooftops about who we are and how we operate. We need to recruit like-minded people. And we need to clearly deal with trolls who throw roadblocks toward our goals.

This is bridge building, in classic Drupal tradition. The DCOC finally documents the unwritten guidelines that have been so instrumental in the healthy/happy development and growth of Drupal to-date. It's a numerical fact that we're growing beyond the scale at which we can rely on informal standards and individual personalities to guard the spirit of the community.

Lets discuss the many details here. I hope to synthesize all feedback and make a recommendation after a couple of weeks. Lets christen this the webchick model of community decision making. We are following her brilliant lead in pushing the community to modernize its version control platform. Feel free to blog and microblog (use #DCOC keyword) about this in order to get the best minds talking here.

CAPS indicate changes from the Ubuntu Code of Conduct

Be considerate.

Our work will be used by other people, and
we in turn will depend on the work of others. Any decision we take
will affect users and colleagues, and we should take those
consequences into account when making decisions. DRUPAL has
millions of users and thousands of contributors. Even if it's not
obvious at the time, our contributions to DRUPAL will impact the
work of others. For example, changes to code, infrastructure,
policy, documentation, and translations during a release may
negatively impact others' work.

Be respectful.

The DRUPAL community and its members treat
one another with respect. Everyone can make a valuable
contribution to DRUPAL. We may not always agree, but disagreement
is no excuse for poor behaviour and poor manners. We might all
experience some frustration now and then, but we cannot allow that
frustration to turn into a personal attack. It's important to
remember that a community where people feel uncomfortable or
threatened is not a productive one. We expect members of the
DRUPAL community to be respectful when dealing with other
contributors as well as with people outside the DRUPAL project and
with users of DRUPAL.

Be collaborative.

Collaboration is central to DRUPAL and to
the larger free software community. This collaboration involves
individuals working with others in teams within DRUPAL, teams
working with each other within DRUPAL, and individuals and teams
within DRUPAL working with other projects outside. This
collaboration reduces redundancy, and improves the quality of our
work. Internally and externally, we should always be open to
collaboration. Wherever possible, we should work closely with
upstream projects and others in the free software community to
coordinate our technical, advocacy, documentation, and other work.
Our work should be done transparently and we should involve as
many interested parties as early as possible. If we decide to
take a different approach than others, we will let them know early,
document our work and inform others regularly of our progress.

When we disagree, we consult others.

OMIT THIS SECTION UNTIL WE HAVE CONFLICT RESOLUTION PROCESS

When we are unsure, we ask for help.

Nobody knows everything, and nobody is expected to be perfect in the DRUPAL
community. Asking questions avoids many problems down the road,
and so questions are encouraged. Those who are asked questions should
be responsive and helpful. However, when asking a question, care must
be taken to do so in an appropriate forum.

Step down considerately.

Members of every project come and
go and DRUPAL is no different. When somebody leaves or disengages
from the project, in whole or in part, we ask that they do so in a
way that minimises disruption to the project. This means they
should tell people they are leaving and take the proper steps to
ensure that others can pick up where they left off.

Drupal.org policies

We are continuing to work to make DrupalCon Copenhagen as awesome as possible, but we wanted to take some time to give you an update on what we have been working on lately:

As you may have noticed, the deadline for submitting a session has been moved back to June 27th. Voting on the sessions opens on June 28th and closes on July 8th. We will notify all speakers and post the full schedule on July 18th. The votes for the different sessions will be used by the track chairs to inform their decision of which sessions get selected.

If your session isn't selected for one of the main conference tracks, please consider doing it as a Birds of a Feather (BOF) session instead. We will post more information about how to announce your BOF sessions as we get closer to the conference.

If you are not attending one of the training sessions on August 23rd, we would love to see you at the Unconference. This will be a perfect opportunity to connect with the local open source community and to discuss issues outside of the Drupal-sphere. The Unconference will be run BarCamp-style and it will be free to attend, but please register in advance to help us determine how much coffee we need to brew.

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PitBulls.org is a community and information site centered around the American Pit Bull Terrier, usually referred to as Pit Bulls.

Pit Bulls get a lot of coverage in the media, usually negative, because there is rampant fear of the breed. They are also often the target of Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). PitBulls.org aims to share another perspective, those of passionate Pit Bull owners. The main mission of the site is to convey that Pit Bulls make great family pets, to get the word out that a dog is only a reflection how it is treated and raised, and to provide a central hub where owners can connect and share their pictures and stories.

The site was conceived and developed by PropDrop Web Development and Marketing. PropDrop not only does client work, but also performs web niche analysis and develops in-house web properties based on that research in order to gain market share in a wide variety of areas. PitBulls.org is one of these properties. It also doesn't hurt that we are dog lovers and own a Pit Bull/Lab mix named Bauer, so we are our own audience in some sense.

PropDrop uses Drupal exclusively for its in-house projects, because we can create a community and information site with some advanced features in under 2 weeks, with everything optimized for search with little effort. It also gives us the opportunity to expand a site's feature set in the future without interfering with current functionality, taking a site in directions that might not be possible with other content management systems.

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